Outlander heart-throb Sam Heughan is in peak shape

Actor Sam Heughan has melted many hearts as Jamie Fraser in Outlander but it turns out he is right at home in the freezing cold.

The Scots star took a rare day off from filming the hit TV series to face cameras of a different sort – those of The Adventure Show.

Sam joined Cameron McNeish for a special BBC2 programme to be broadcast next year – and even said that the outdoors presenter was somewhat of a hero to him.

Executive producer Richard Else said: "Sam is passionate about the outdoors and keen to share this love with as many people as possible.

"We were filming in full winter conditions but had a fantastic day with everything from snow flurries to magnificent summit views in all directions.

"He kept looking around and saying ‘wow’. Sam had not previously visited the hills above Glen Banchor and was impressed by their remoteness and wild, stark beauty."

Cameron said: "As Sam strode out alongside me, the 6ft3 stride making easy work of the snow-covered slopes, I couldn’t help notice how much at ease he was in these conditions – as though his Outlander alter ego had taken possession of him. He is a man completely at home in a wintery highland setting."

The pair in Badenoch's winter wonderland

It was all in aid of a one-hour Adventure Show special on walking – aiming to answer the question of, ‘why walk when you can ride?’.

Cameron will look at the cultural and social history of pedestrian travel – exploring the attraction of long-distance walking, also featuring outdoor expert Chris Townsend, who lives near Grantown.

He will also investigate the latest research that shows that walking can have far more positive benefits than just a healthy lifestyle – including altering the size of the brain and improving memory.

"It’s a fantastic example of a lovely hill that is rarely visited, apart from stalkers and shepherds and it shows how a place like this can be every bit as attractive as a big summit. Sam found it a real revelation.

"Now, in the strange but true department, Sam got in touch with Cameron saying he was a huge fan of the Adventure Show and would really like to do a walk with him.

"Amazingly, our grand old man of walking is one of Sam’s heroes. What made the day so special was Sam’s enthusiasm and his joy at being out in the hills.

"It says a lot about him that with very few days off, he was determined to make time for our filming."